My 106th experiment: whole wheat loaf

Since hubby's comment on the density of my last loaf of nut bread, I start looking back at the old experiments to figure out what has been done to create the light loaves. This time, I take out my earliest 100% whole wheat loaf, and try to juggle with it a little. The ingredients are roughly from my 27th experiment.

Recipe: Whole wheat loaf (1 loaf)

Ingredients:
- 3 cup KAF whole wheat flour
- 1 tp active dry yeast
- 1 tp kosher salt
- 5 TB buttermilk powder
- 1 TB honey
- 1 tp oil
- 1+1/2 cup warm water

Procedure:
1. Proof yeast in 1+1/2 cup warm water with 1 TB honey.
2. Sieve together flour, salt, and buttermilk powder.
3. Add 1+1/2 cup wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients and mix to form a dough.
4. Chill dough for 6 hours.
5. Take dough out of oven. Shape in pan. Allow to proof on counter top for 7 hours.
6. Brush top with water. Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes.

Results:
8:37am, dough ready:

8:37am, dough's height before chilling:

3:06pm, dough chilled 6 hours, ready to shape and warm up:

3:17pm, dough shaped and dusted with rye flour:

3:18pm, dough to proof in pan:

3:18pm, dough's height in pan:

10:01pm, dough proofed 7 hours covered by foil in cool kitchen:

10:01pm, dough top:

10:08pm, dough to bake at 350F:

10:54pm, loaf baked 47 minutes:

10:54pm, loaf top:

10:56pm, loaf's height:

10:57pm, loaf's side:

10:57pm, loaf's bottom:

00:36am, slicing:

00:39am, 14 slices:

00:39am, center slice:

00:40am, heel slice:

00:40am, crumb:

00:40am, a bite:

Observations:
1. Two things distinctive about this loaf are: (1) the buttermilk taste, and (2) the rye crust.
2. This loaf is much better than my 104th experiment in that it is not as dense.
3. I could have either used more yeast, or let it chill longer.

This is one of those loaves that I bake in anticipation of a need. It's wednesday. I have a long night of work. Hubby likely needs some bread for the next day. So I start making this loaf early in the morning, and let it chill for 6 hours. This may not be long enough for the 1 tp of yeast to grow. But in any case, it's better than just 2 hours. Then, just before I head out to work, I let it warm up on counter top. By the time I am back, it has proven quite alive. There isn't much of an oven spring though. When this loaf is done and cooled, it's already past midnight. I get it all sliced up, leaving a few slices out for hubby's breakfast and lunch... The next day is rainy and hard on us. Hubby ends up not having any of the sandwiches. At first, I wonder why I have to go through all that trouble to find out that what I make is not eaten. But then, on a second thought, I do have what I mean to get. After all, isn't all this trouble meant to provide hubby with a choice of convenience and ease? And if he chooses to eat a pot of hot noodle because of the weather, there is no conflict. Love has its ends met in whichsoever way seems best.